Grainger Street

Grainger street is the central street in what is known as Grainger Town, the historic heart of Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Based around classical streets built by Richard Grainger, a builder and developer, between 1835 and 1842, some of Newcastle upon Tyne's finest buildings and streets lie within the Grainger Town area of the City centre including Grainger Market, Theatre Royal, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street. These buildings are predominately four storeys, with vertical dormers, domes, turrets and spikes.

Richard Grainger was said to 'have found Newcastle of bricks and timber and left it in stone'. Of Grainger Towns 450 buildings, 244 are listed, of which 29 are grade I and 49 are grade II*.

Grainger Town covers approximately 36 hectares and the architecture is dubbed 'Tyneside Classical' architecture. One of the streets of Grainger town, Grey Street was described by Pevsner as 'one of the finest streets in England'. The area also includes a Mediaeval 13th century Dominican Friary, pieces of the historic Town Walls and many fine Victorian buildings.

Almost all of Grainger Town is within Newcastle's Central Conservation Area, one of the first to be designated in England.

The majority of the buildings are in private ownership. The area around Grey's Monument and Grey Street is expanding fast with high quality shopping outlets, designer fashions and jewellery. The Central Exchange, with its tiled Edwardian Central Arcade, is located within this area. Inside are shops and the Newcastle Tourist Information Centre for maps and guides to the City.

Description courtesy of Wikipedia.






11th October 2022



Grainger Street, Nos. 73-75.

John Johnstone for J.G. Youall, c.1870. Source: Sitelines.






8th August 2022



Nos. 53 to 61, Chaucer Buildings.

Shops, offices and Freemasons Hall. Circa 1869; probably by Gibson Kyle. Sandstone ashlar; Welsh slate roof with stone gable coping. Venetian Gothic style.

3 storeys and attics; 9 bays. Central renewed door and overlight under shouldered lintel on shafts with stiff-leaf capitals. Bracketed cast iron balcony above. C20 shops; ground-floor cornice.

Arcaded first floor has paired round-headed windows except for central window of 3 lights.

Top floor has gable over 3 left bays with tall, paired 2-light windows under roundel with carved ornament; crocketed gable moulding on curved kneelers has clove finial. Bays to right have nook shafts to alternately cusped and segmental-headed windows, that over entrance projecting slightly. Corbel table above these bays supports balustrade and gabled dormers in alternate bays; moulded kneelers and clove finials. Ashlar chimneys.

Listed Grade 2. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 47 to 51.



Grainger Street, Nos. 37 to 45, Union Chambers.






1st August 2022



The County Hotel.

Hotel and shops. Hotel incorporates the upper floors of Nos 28,30,34 and 36 Neville Street, Nos 1-17 odd Grainger Street and the second floor of No.51 Westgate Road. East front 1874 by John Johnstone, South Front 1897 by HM Graham.

Sandstone ashlar; purple slate roof and copper domes. Italianate style on earlier front. Main south elevation mild Baroque. Plan: Angled L-plain occupying one end of a city block. Late C19 and modern shops on all 3 fronts, on ground floor.

South (entrance) front 5 storeys and attic 9 bays, symmetrical. Projecting quoined centrepiece with recessed modern door and fanlight in cast iron porch; balcony over. Ground floor shops retain their stone dividing pilasters and fascia. Carriage arch in left bay; angled right corner with granite column supporting first floor. Round-arched first-floor centre window with rusticated archivolt and triple keystone.

Paired flanking windows. Other first-floor windows shallow canted bays, except for pointedd bay at left and angled bay at right corner. Cast iron balcony at second-floor level. Outer bays rise as half-octagonal projections, with floor strings and cornices. Upper windows paired sashes in architraves eaved on second and third floors, the latter with alternately segmental pediments. Deep modillion top cornice except in outer bays which have strapwork drums under domes. Central shaped and pedimented gable, with shell niche; 3 paired-sash dormers at either side. East front 4 storeys and attic; more elaborate design. 15 bays in all. 3-bay left section as South front. 3 right bays plainer to balance. Rusticated ground-floor pilasters retained between later shops, and bracketed farcia cornice above.

End sections have paired windows in giant round-arched recesses. Centre section has paired sashes. Elaborate window treat- ment includes carving, attached columns, euriched cornices on second and third floors; toppd by 3 groups of 3 large shaped, coped gables with urn finials. 4-bay north front on Westgate Road similar to right bays of east front.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.






10th July 2022



Grainger Street, Nos. 19 to 25, Trustees Savings Bank.

Bank. 1862-3 by J.E. Watson. Sandstone ashlar with Welsh slate roof. Classical style. 2 storeys, 5:3:5 bays and 3 in left return.

Pedimented centre has double door and overlight; rusticated piers to ground floor arcade, with round-headed windows under modillioned cornice. First floor has central balcony and engaged Ionic Order supporting pediment with motto INDUSTRY under beehive and cornucopia; round-headed windows; modillioned cornice and pediment. Top balustrade. Hipped roof. Left return in similar style has arms of Newcastle in pediment.

Listed Grade 2. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, No. 71.




Grainger Street, Unite Students Newgate Court.




Grainger Street, Nos. 27-35 Maybrook House.






3rd July 2022



Grainger Street, Nos. 139 to 159.

Shops and houses, now shops. Circa 1836, probably by John Wardle, for Richard Grainger. Sandstone ashlar; Welsh slate roof.

4 storeys; 19 bays and one-bay curved corner to former High Friar Street:, now Eldon Shopping Centre. Ground floor altered. First floor tripartite windows in end pavilions have Tuscan pilasters and entablature with pedimented projecting centre; tripartite windows on each floor above, with architraves and bracketed sills on second floor and plain reveals on third.

Central pavilion has architraves to first-and second- floor windows, and cornices, the central pedimented, on first floor; bracketed sills on second floor, plain reveals on third.

All windows sashes, some with glazing bars. Plainer intermediate sections have pilasters and entablature to first-floor windows, second-floor sill string and entablature with prominent cornice. Top cornice and blocking course.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.






11th June 2022



Grainger Street, Nos. 112 to 118

Shops and houses, now shops and restaurant. Circa 1836, probably by John Wardle, for Richard Grainger. Painted sandstone ashlar; Welsh slate roof. Curved corner to Market Street.

4 storeys, 5 bays. Ground floor altered. Giant fluted Ionic attached columns to upper floors. Sashes in plain reveals, most with glazing bars; some inserted ventilators, Second floor entablature and prominent cornice. Top floor Windows flanked by panelled pilasters; top cornice and blocking course with blocks above pilasters.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 108 and 110.

Shops and houses, now shops. Circa 1836, probably by John Wardle, for Richard Grainger. Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible.

4 storeys, 5 bays. Ground floor altered. Upper floors have giant Ionic Order. Flat pilasters, the inner 4 fluted, flank sashes with glazing bars in plain reveals. Second floor has sill band and entablature with prominent cornice. Top floor has panelled pilasters flanking windows, some altered, under cornice and blocking course with blocks above pilasters.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 92 to 104.

Shops and houses, now shops and offices. Circa 1837 probably by John Wardle for Richard Grainger. Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible.

4 storeys, 15 bays. Ground floor altered. Plain reveals to windows, some altered, some sashes with glazing bars, in upper floors. Second floor has sill band and entablature with prominent cornice. Top floor has cornice and blocking course. Circa 1900 office entrance to No. 94.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 86 to 90.

Shops and houses, now shops. Circa 1837 probably by John Wardle for Richard Grainger. Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible.

4 storeys, 5 bays. Ground floor altered. Upper floors have giant Ionic Order of attached fluted pilasters; sashes in plain reveals, a few with glazing bars; second-floor entablature with prominent cornice. Top floor has panelled pilasters flanking sashes with glazing bars except in centre bay which is blind on all floors. Top cornice and blocking course with blocks above pilasters.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 74 to 84.

Shops and houses, now shops. Circa 1836, probably by John Wardle, for Richard Grainger. Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible at left and Welsh slate at right.

4 storeys, with attics except to left 3 bays; 15 bays. Ground floor altered. Upper floors have sashes in plain reveals, some with glazing bars. Second-floor sill band. Second-floor entablature with prominent cornice; top cornice and blocking course. Inserted mansard roof to 5 left bays with 5 large attic windows.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 68 to 72 (Murton House).

Includes Nos. 30 and 32 Bigg Market on right return. Shops and houses, now shops. Circa 1836, probably by John Wardle, for Richard Grainger. Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible; rendered attic.

4 storeys, 5 bays. Ground floor altered. Upper floors have flat pilasters in giant Ionic Order, the inner ones fluted. Central bay blind. Sashes, some with glazing bars, in plain reveals. Second floor entablature with prominent cornice. Top cornice and blocking course on panelled pilasters.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 64-66.

Designed by John Adams for George Handyside around 1871. A decorative stone building large ornamented gable to the corner and dormers. Unfortunately the dormers and balustrades have been removed and the four double-windowed dormers have been replaced by plain lead boxes. Modern ground floor.

Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 58 - 62.




Grainger Street, Nos. 52 - 56.




Grainger Street, Nos. 42 - 50 (Victoria Buildings).

Shops and offices. Dated 1874; by Matthew Thompson for Sir Walter Scott. Some ground floor alterations c.1980. Sandstone ashlar; dark slate roof. Italianate style.

3 storeys and attics; 9 bays. Rusticated piers to ground floor, that at centre right altered; central renewed office door; bracketed cornice. Pilasters to upper floors, fluted in end bays, are Tuscan Order on first floor, framing arched windows with shell-carved tympana; similar carving to paired central second floor windows under round arch with lozenge ornament in tympanum ; plainer windows in other bays, between wide pilasters with brackets to top cornice. End and central attics of one and 3 lights have garland-ornamented pilasters under open pediments; linking balustrades with urn finials.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, Nos. 34 to 40.

Shop and offices. Circa 1874. Sandstone ashlar; roof not visible. 3 storeys and attics, 5 bays. Jacobean style. Ground floor altered.

Upper floors have tall sashes with late C19 cross glazing bars. Each floor has pilasters and entablature; first has Tuscan Order, the central 4 pilasters rusticated; dentilled cornice. Second floor Ionic, with pulvinated frieze and modillioned cornice.

Corinthian to 3 attic windows with lower pilasters flanking shaped end panels. Scrolled pediment over centre window rests on long keys. Shaped gable above has central cartouche under raised pediment; urn finials.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.




Grainger Street, no. 30.

Commercial building. 1884-6 by John Johnstone for the Newcastle and Gateshead Gas Company. Sandstone ashlar, with slate roofs, in French Renaissance style.

3 storeys and attics, basement on south front to St. John Street. 3 by 3 wide bays plus an angled corner bay. Arcaded ground floor altered on West front to provide shop windows. The central bay on either front breaks forward in a 2- storey rounded oriel with a balustraded parapet before an elaborate 3-stage pilastered gable backing on to a pavilion roof.

The side bays have shallower square pilastered projections and smaller pedimented 2-stage attic gables. The corner bay is an oriel, on a heavy rounded and moulded corbel, rising to a dome with a smaller drum, dome and finial above. Horizontal stability is given by banded rustication on the narrow wall spaces and by entablatures with panelled blocking courses at floor levels. 3 or 4 plain windows to each bay.

Grade 2 Listed. Source: Sitelines.









28th May 2022



Giant Squid.

I'm guessing this was something to do with the recent Tour De Moon event held in Newcastle.






18th July 2018











9th June 2018



Nos. 19 to 25, Trustees Savings Bank.





Nos. 53 to 61, Chaucer Buildings.


















26th May 2018












25th December 2013









12th July 2007



No. 30, Grainger Street.














More information:
My other photos concerning Richard Grainger:
My other photos around Grainger Street:

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i have a photo with date in 12 november 1909. in this photo have a soldier. i buy in biggest street market in Brazil. the address in this photo is 12, grainger street, Leo, Legge e Co.

Anonymous said...

I found a photo behind a photo of me as a child of a lady. No date but taken by Leo Legge & Co. Any way of finding out more information as my parents have passed and I can’t ask them?